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fallingskiesandrisingseas · 1 year

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Susan Pevensie comes back from Narnia and tries to forget, not because she doesn't believe in Narnia anymore, but because it hurts too much thinking about what she lost.

In Narnia, she was revered, respected. People wrote songs about her, asked for her hand in marriage. She was with her siblings, and she was free, and she could finally stop worrying about her brothers dying in an air raid. She had a people she protected, a land she ruled, and family to look after. She was respected in courts and battefields alike.

Narnia brought other problems, of course. Not all her suitors were kind about her rejection, and Peter and Edmund were expected to lead armies, which meant they were always in the line of fire. More than once had they come home with grave injuries that took months to recover from, even with Lucy's secret potion.

It is this Narnia Susan vividly remembers just aftee she comes back, a wild and savage land where magic roams free, but evil roams free too. It is the Narnia of eternal winter, of giants and ogres, of Aslan dying on the Stone Table. The Narnia of Telmarines, of dead friends, of failed sieges.

England forces her back into obedience, into a mold. Tells her to behave in a way expected of a young lady. Lucy can stay wild a little longer, but Susan has an education to focus on, men to impress. England tells her she is below her brothers again, should get married and have kids.

So Susan tries to forget, convincing herself that the stiff upper lip, tight collars, kneelong skirts, ridicule from adults when she speaks her mind and forced silence is better than the freedom she had in Narnia.

For that freedom had to be paid for in blood. At least in England her family and friends don't risk dying, not after the war.

She alienates from her brothers and sister further. She tells them Narnia was a game, a fantasy. But the difference in faith is also due tk the way she has to hide how it changed her. Peter, Lucy and Edmund do not have to. The boys write long essays about justice and religion, join the fencing team. Lucy dances everywhere she goes and is known to never wear shoes if she can help it.

But the archery club at school will not accept Susan. Neither will the debate team. Her teachers are annoyed with the fact she never slips up, disgruntled at the fact a woman runs rings around them intelectually. Susan is a young woman after a time of war, and all of society would rather she shut up and do what she is told.

Soon, Susan has new friends, new things that matter. All these adult thoughts she can only discuss with her brothers and sister drive her crazy, and there is no one around that takes them seriously. And so she tries to grow up as fast as possible, get to an age where people listen to her again. She forgets so that she doesn't have to deal with the feeling she was meant for much more, to ease the mourning of all that she lost when she kissed Caspian goodbye.

All the Pevensies start forgetting Narnia slowly, the memories fading. Soon none of them remember the names of their generals at Beruna. They forget the smell of battle, the weight of an iron sword in their hands. But they all still walk as if their crowns are on their heads, and ride horses in a way none of their instructors understand. It takes a while before they are back to their Narnian levels, but it is clear to them someone has instructed them before. None of them can figure out what commands they use, however. Is it western style, perhaps? Or maybe rodeo? They cannot have been taught in England, not with the amount of control they can exert with and without saddles, the sense of balance. Some of their teachers are astonished by their academic growth, but others attribute it to the lax education standards after the war. Susan is sold short most often, but all the Pevensie children suffer from arguments with teachers and attitude problems. Teachers generally don't like it if you behave like you are older or more important than them. It's worse because they are almost never wrong, even though all of them feel the effects that having a teenage brain has on their speed of thought and the coherence of their arguments.

The Pevensies deal with these remnants of Narnia in different ways. Susan becomes an actress. She picks West End over Oxford because the stage is a place she is allowed to be free. And since Narnia, dry textbooks don't thrill her like they used to, while the fantasy concepts of spirits and courts and magic and other things thespians work with entince her all the more. Inside her is a longing to become someone else. She knows where it comes from, but she doesn't want to acknowledge it.

Susan plays a queen often, or a diplomat, or a model. Something about her performances have audiences hooked, convinced she was royalty in a different life.

Remembering Narnia hurts. She scolds someone for being reckless with the stage props while teaching them the correct way for a full minute before realizing the person in question is older than her, and doesn't listen to a young woman. He has the same name as her younger brother.

So Susan forgets. But as she carves her way into the elite of old Hollywood, years later, she begins to remember as well. What it's like to have a voice. How it feels like to have people listen.

When Lucy, Edmund and Peter die in the train accident, Susan weeps for days. She knows what she has lost in them. She is now the only person fluent in their interpersonal language, the only one that still remembers the mating call of the centaurs, what jokes a forest spirit makes. She is now truly alone in the world.

Narnia comes rushing back to her during this grieving period. Eventually, she remembers that she used to have a voice, a crown, lovers of whatever gender she wanted. And also how Narnia would have you pay for freedom in blood. They gave up on that freedom to protect her siblings. only to lose them anyways. Suddenly, Susan remembers how Narnia was fair, how a bargain struck was a bargain kept. She remembers the nymphs, the trees in spring. She remembers the beauty of it all.

Later, when Susan is a grown woman and an arrived actor in Hollywood, Aslan begins returning to her dreams. He never speaks to her, but the sight of him gives her strenght. She was once Susan the Gentle, who accompanied Aslan to his death. It is time she returns to being that person.

After the Stonewall riots and during the AIDS epidemic, Susan is the only actress willing to make a public stand. It costs her 2 box office hits and a 3 month ban from the tabloids. But she remembers justice, and the price of freedom. Others start looking to her for wisdom, just like they did all those years ago. Susan feels her quiet strenght returning, her faith slowly coming back.

She stops wishing she could forget Narnia. The magic that was responsible for the memory faded with time. Maybe it was just to protect her from mourning a world where she was so much more.

When Susan looks at the boys coming back from wars in Korea and Vietnam, she recognizes the look in their eyes. Reflected in their behaviour is a maturity that shouldn't be present in teenagers. The loss of innocence, the unrepairable damage to their childhood illusions. It is a look she spent her twenties avoiding mirrors for, because she knew what it meant. No matter what she told herself then, she believed in Narnia. She still does now.

She knows her siblings are in a different place now, and that she revoked her faith in that place, but slowly, as the years grey her hair and wrinkle her face, she begins to believe she may one day join them there. She remembers Aslan as a kind lion, even if he wasn't a tame one.

She grew old in Narnia once, after all. She hopes to die there.

Once a queen of Narnia, always a queen of Narnia

#my most famous post on here is about the Pevensies coming back to England #here are some more thoughts about it.#narnia meta #the lion the witch and the wardrobe #narnia #peter pevensie #lucy pevensie #susan pevensie #susan pevensie meta #idk this concept of forgetting the other world seems fucked up #prince caspian #character analysis #fanfic #edmund pevensie #susan pevensie fanfic #the problem of susan

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clanwarrior-tumbly · 3 months

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So i hope its okay... Can i request arven penny nemona and kieran Meeting a pokemon Trainer that is basiclly Pokemon sword/shield MC and maybe hop or marni come to visit? Or it can just be Just the Trainer i wouldn't mind anyway here's the team

A inteleon is kinda like a big brother to the team but still is Sometimes mischevous

Zamazenta who May look cold but is essentialy a big puppy

Gerdevoir who kinda has a sibling like rivaly with with salazle on who's stronger

Salazle who is a little diva but both her or gardevoir will beat you up if you insult the other

And a sylveon and glaceon who are like peas in a pod and will go out to defend the other if something happend

Anyway you don't have to write it if you don't want to since its kinda long and have a good day/night 💜💛

Arven

Apparently saving a region from an ecological crisis wasn't your first rodeo..as you've done this in Galar too.

After sharing stories of how you became champion, prevented Chairman Rose from causing a second "Darkest Day" with Eternatus, revived the Hero Duo (with Zamazenta being living proof), etc...Arven's fully convinced you need a vacation.

Funny enough, Paldea was meant to be your fresh start and a way to begin your studies like a normal kid.

But of course that didn't happen.

Facing the Titan Pokémon together reminds you of the Dynamaxed ones, but you thanked Arceus they weren't that gigantic nor have any brutal G-Max moves.

When it comes to food, Arven learns you can make a mean curry dish, often trading each other recipes.

In fact, you've made so many types that your team is just happy to eat whatever you've cooked up.

Speaking of which..your current team is the same one from Galar. You decided they were ready for a new adventure in a new region by your side.

Inteleon, once a timid Sobble, tended to sneak bites of curry/sandwiches from the others, but otherwise acts like a cool older brother to your team.

His Snipe Shot is deadly and he lowkey missed being able to Gigantamax, although he likes how flashy he becomes when terastalized.

Zamazenta actually enjoys belly rubs, discovering this only after witnessing Arven give Mabosstiff pets on the stomach.

Gardevoir and Salazzle have been rivals since they were a Ralts and Salandit, having a few sparring matches during camps/picnics.

But trust they will BOTH go on the offense if anyone dared hurt the other. Arven witnessed this firsthand down in Area Zero when an Iron Hands attacked Salazzle with a ground move, and Gardevoir's Moonblast absolutely destroyed it.

Finally, Sylveon and Glaceon were two inseparable Eevees. You couldn't catch one without taking the other with you, and ever since then they've stuck together like glue, even evolving at the same time.

When Hop and Marni visited you in Paldea (whether to just travel or study abroad), Arven gets a little jealous that they were your friends before he was..but learns to get along with them.

Penny

Assuming she was studying abroad in Galar (after ditching Team Star) when the events of SWSH took place, she definitely would have seen your face around social media and on nearly ever TV station.

She knew you defeated Leon in the championship.

But she NEVER would've guessed it was you who also stopped the second Darkest Day from happening--and quelled Eternatus, of all things.

It was like you were the protagonist of some epic anime, doing all this heroic stuff yet being so casual when talking about it to her, Arven, and Nemona.

But she wants to hear all about your adventures!

Even though she was a little jealous you did all these cool things while she had to continue her studies.

She's thrilled to meet your Sylveon and Glaceon, finding their strong bond to be sweet and similar to her own Eeveelutions.

If you went to Crown Tundra, she immediately asks if you met her father and apologizes on his behalf if he was too overbearing.

But you amuse her with the story of how Calyrex kept temporarily possessing his body to speak to you.

The first time you brought out Zamazenta, Penny was a little intimidated by the way it looked at her menacingly...

Until it does the same thing Miraidon/Koraidon did to her during Operation Starfall:

And that is tackle her in kisses and icky wolf slobber.

She wonders why all your Legendaries do this to her..

Underneath the gruff, tough, and battle-hardened appearance, it turns out that it's really just a giant puppy longing to be spoiled like a Growlithe.

Nemona

Right from the get-go, she knew you were Galar's most recent champion and wanted to see how you fight.

Of course, that meant you had to adapt from the Dynamaxed battles you were so accustomed to and get used to Terastalized battles instead.

But you're a quick learner.

In fact your Inteleon, despite being at a disadvantage against her Pawmot, still managed to sweep half her team.

Sometimes you'll have your Paldea starter in your party in place of Zamazenta, but when you brought the shield wolf out for the first time during a picnic...Nemona was in awe.

"So THIS is one of the legendary heroes that Ms. Raifort taught us about????" She gawks, especially as you bring out the rusted shield and let it transform.

Penny made a good point: you may as well be a modern-day hero of Galar yourself!

She also wanted to hear all about your trials and tribulations with the gym challenge, having seen your battle on television and how Leon congratulated you for winning the championship.

Ngl it made her tear up the first time she rewatches it with you, proud of how you were still eager to finish it even though the Second Darkest Day interrupted the match and almost destroyed the whole region.

It lowkey made her feel bad when you, her, and the others had to go down to Area Zero and prevent another disaster that would've also unleashed dangerous Pokémon all across the region...

Yeah, you definitely needed a break and a chance to feel like a normal trainer.

And what better way to do that than to battle Nemona again and again?

Kieran

When you first met in Kitakami, you never struck him as the type to be Galar's Champion (as well as its savior from the second Darkest Day--the first one being an event he read about in books).

It's not something you liked to brag about anyways. So you downplayed your experiences while talking to him during the signboard project.

All he knew was that you lived in Galar and participated in the gym challenge. That's it.

Only when you show up to BB Academy does he overhear people talking about you like you're some celebrity, and he realizes you've been keeping even more secrets from him...

"Did you hear?? The Galar Champion is joining the league club!"

"I heard they reawakened Zacian and Zamazenta! They brought the heroes of Galar back to life!"

He refuses to believe it up until the moment you two battle, where Gardevoir and Salazzle worked incredibly well together, before you sent out Zamazenta near the very end.

Ofc Kieran is FURIOUS, screaming about how you lied to him yet again and "never changed".

"You told me you were just a normal kid from Galar...WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU BEEN KEEPING FROM ME?!!"

It's so unfair. You're hailed as a hero in a different region, you held two (and eventually three) champion titles, AND you have Zamazenta on your side...while he's a nobody from Kitakami who gave up so much and worked so hard--only to realize he'll never be even half as great as you.

How could he ever be like you with so many achievements under your belt?

But after you two become friends again (with you apologizing for not fully telling him the truth about yourself), Hop called you in hopes of visiting the academy's Terarium to research the Pokémon there.

You introduce him to Kieran, and they have a long chat about their rivalry with you.

Things get a little awkward when Hop rambles about his constant losses against you and his desires to become stronger (plus his struggle to step out of Leon's shadow), only to find his true calling as a professor in the end.....before asking Kieran how he coped.

"...oh um...I-I didn't really cope that well. I got jealous and bitter and..let's just say I wasn't very nice to [y/n]." He mutters, feeling ashamed.

"Awh really? But you seem like a nice chap now!" Your Galarian rival/friend tries cheering him up, although he understood his pain and felt that same humiliation several times before.

But Kieran did learn a thing or two from him, just like he did from Nemona. Battling was still his calling, but he forgot how to have fun with it, and he needed that reminder.

He mentions trading you an Applin, and Hop does a spit-take, asking if he knew what that meant (or if you told him).

If so, then he congratulates you both on your new relationship.

If not, then you let Kieran google it on your rotomphone...

Before he buries his face into Zamazenta's fur a few seconds later, trying to hide his worsening blush while you and Hop just laugh.

#clanask #pokemon x reader #pokemon sv x reader #pokemon scarlet x reader #pokemon violet x reader #pokemon arven #pokemon penny #pokemon nemona #pokemon kieran #pokemon hop #pokemon swsh x reader #headcanons

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blackopals-world · 1 year

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Unconventional Proposals

Part 2

Yuu x Housewardens

Twisted Wonderland might have its own courting traditions but Yuu might not be from our world. What if they are the one with strange traditions?

Riddle- Pocket Full of Posies

Yuu didn't understand Riddle's love for roses. They weren't considered significant in their homeland. They lived in the wide open grasslands where cultivating flowers would be considered strange.

When the time came in the late spring the young would go into the fields and pick a bouquet of wildflowers for their partner.

Yuu managed to find a good place to pick some plants. Wheat stalks, wild roses, Shirley poppies, red clovers, and Indian paintbrushes.

Yuu gleefully presented Riddle with the wild bouquet whom didn't understand why he was being given flowers but took them anyway. Bouquets were also a part of the Queendom's courting traditions but he had never seen wheat as a part of the bouquet.

Fortunately, they both understand that they were now dating. Riddle sectioned off a part of his garden for wildflowers for his beloved who still created beautiful wild displays for him.

Leona- Taking All Challengers

In the mire lands you need to prove yourself worthy of a partner. For the courted you should doll yourself up with flowers braided into your hair and lays of blossoms around your hips or necks. For the courter, grab a weapon and challenge anyone willing to fight.

Leona wasn't blind to what Yuu was doing. They had soundly chased off anyone that bothered him during his naps before running back to him for approval. Yuu would tuck flowers in his hair when he slept in the greenhouse.

He confused this courting with his own people's courting which was more about protecting their partner. Yuu however isn't actually protecting him and was just picking fights. But either way, it was working.

Azul-Sing Me Your Pretty Little Song

The icy mountains were so isolated and it was hard to find a partner. How do you find a lover while keeping romance alive?

You sing. Sing until you find someone to return your song. If you made a duet then follow their voice until you find them. Generations of this have created the most beautiful voices in Yuu's homeland.

Azul hired Yuu for that exact reason. At some point, Yuu had fallen for Azul and would constantly serenade him in hopes that he would sing back.

Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication. Merfolk also sing for their partners in a courting but they don't have to sing back. Azul had accepted Yuu's feelings but since he didn't like singing Yuu believed Azul didn't like them back.

Kalim- For the Dancing and the Dreaming

The white spring festival meant it was time for fun and games. Yuu's people were jovial and high-spirited people who love games and parties. It was no wonder they fell in love with Kalim.

During the spring festival they would dress in white clothes and place white flower crowns on their heads. Those looking for a partner play "The Dancer's Rodeo". Two people stand on a circular raised platform and sing a song. They sing back and forth in a duet while one partner tries to catch the other while dancing. Every verse gets faster and faster and the catcher can't stop singing or step off the platform. If the song ends without catching the other then they lose.

Kalim threw the festival after Yuu told him about it and tried his hand at the game. It took a few tries before he successfully beat the game.

For once there is no misunderstanding. They both knew what was going on and agreed to it.

Vil- Prim and Peacocking

The rainforest canopies were alight with a rainbow of colors and like how the macaw's feathers come in brighter during the mating season so do the people. They paint their skin and wear their best and brightest clothes. All in hopes of luring the best and most beautiful companion.

Yuu actually believed that it was Vil who started this courting. He was clearly trying to lure someone and had yet to find someone who came close to his standard but Yuu had gone their whole life knowing how to play this game.

They used a delicately chosen array of colors and clothing to gain Vil's attention. It worked and they were both quite taken the other.

Unfortunately, the problem with peacocks is that neither will make the first move due to both having no idea how to approach and flirt. So they are stuck in a standoff. It's would be cute if it wasn't irritating to watch.

Idia- Take You Away

Yep, Yuu came from a kingdom where kidnapping a future partner was normal. It had rules of course but they did do that.

If two people share an interest in one other kidnapping them and taking them to your home was part of the ritual. They of course could just escape by walking out the unlocked door but the point was to show them what you can offer them. Make your partner comfortable and spend time with them until they agree to stay or they choose to leave. There are usually no hard feelings after.

Idia had been kidnapped a few times so by this point he knows to assume the position. Yuu would remind him that he could go but that they don't want him to leave. The house was comfortable with plenty of pillows to lounge on.

Yuu made him food and wanted to cuddle while he played games. It was pretty good and he didn't even have the deal with people coming to get him. Every time someone bothered them Yuu would drive them away since part of the courting is making sure people don't interfere with Idia's choice to stay.

He did but he didn't even know why he was kidnapped in the first place, but if he's happy good for him.

Malleus-Shiny Rock Egg

If you lived underground you'd have strange traditions too. Thankfully it was just a cave system.

Yeah, Yuu lived in a cave growing up. It wasn't bad, the caves were beautiful and were carved into by their ancestors.

When you found someone you like it was common to give them tokens. Tokens were random objects that the giver was fond of. Uncut gemstones and rocks were raw or carved into to be given to a potential partner.

Yuu would seek out geodes to give them to Malleus. At first, he believed that he was being given big stones by his child of man and was very enthusiastic to reserve these gifts.

That is until he was moving some of them to his horde after he ran out of room on his shelf. One of the geodes cracked in half and caused him to panic. He had ruined Yuu's gift. When he apologized to them Yuu told him he was supposed to crack them open.

On closer look, he was extremely happy when he realized they were gems. You see dragons courted using gemstones as gifts. So they were well on their way to being engaged.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader #vil schoenheit #vil shoenheit x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle rosehearts #leona kingscholar #leona x reader #kalim x reader #twisted wonderland kalim #idia shroud x reader #idia shroud #malleus x reader #malleus draconia #twisted wonderland yuu

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moonfoxgazer · 5 months

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It could be considered sad, perhaps, how things must happen for things to continue on the correct path, consider how it could be comparable to that of the work of a ranch-hand as they guide the herd towards the best pastures. Occasionally they must make a difficult decision which may or may not require a sacrifice, some of the herd may not make it, but ultimately it is for the best possible outcome for the whole.

*insert that one song with tears falling down at the party and being the saddest baby in the room* I've been playing with the whole cowboy Danny Phantom idea for awhile now. If ya'll are curious about designs and meaning feel free to read below. Don't fret, I have more cowboy stuff stewing in the stock pot, but the potatoes aren't soft enough yet so ya'll have to wait a bit more.

For Danno So design choices are taking Southwestern outfitting and combining it a little with the Ghost King stuff too, such as the Crown of Fire becoming akin to a hat band (which nicer hat bands and sometimes feathers are often earned within ranch-hand and rodeo cultures) and then the Ring of Rage becomes the Bolo of Rage, heh. And naturally the kiddo's insignia becomes a belt buckle because those are earned for sure and usually goes with the outfit. Now for CW

I based a lot of his design off more outrider/ outlaw designs while keeping the feeling of his original outfit. So his cloak remained but shorter and a little more ragged, which many travelers back then would have some sort of cloak or coat, depending on region, money and circumstance, fighters usually went with looser clothing so it was easier to move and access weapons. Of course you have the bandolier, which was used mostly to carry more ammo. The rifle CW is carrying is loosely based off a Winchester Model 1873 Smoothbore Rifle, which was a common rifle type in the late 1800s. Of course I had to reference the medallions with an engraving in the butt of the rifle, which carvings and decorations on firearms were common during the time, with many carving the decorations themselves during downtime, and well, we know how CW is about his branding. The last bit that really could stand out is his belt buckle, which is of course decorative and based off Dine Silver and Turquoise jewelry with a common blossom pattern in the center. Being from the southwest, there's a lot of things about life out here, both in the past and present that require sacrifice and that's something that resonates a lot with DP honestly. It's a theme I like playing with a bit when it comes to the idea of the southwest. It's why Danny looks melancholy and withdrawn here and CW in his typical aloof nature is more, neutral. If ya'll read through all this, congrats, you didn't get caught in a cactus, ya'll are awesome.

#moonidraw #danny phantom #concept #danny phantom fanart #cowboy danny phantom #cowboy #western aesthetic #ghosts #ghost cowboy #clockwork #glockwork #cowboy clockwork #ghost king au #ghost king danny #history lesson #look this is a special interest of mine and it means a lot to me because it's a big part of the culture of where i am from

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birthing1020 · 6 months

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I thought I should redo my introduction after seeing a few others;

You can call me K! I am straight, 25 years old and live on the east cost.

This is not my first rodeo with roleplay, I quite frequently write on Facebook as male characters, but this is my first kink page. I’m definitely exploring this, that’s for sure.

I’ll be honest, I can suck with replying! But when I can, I’ll match your style of writing. I can do as little as one-liners to paragraphs, I know not everyone is on the same writing scale and that’s definitely okay.

I can play the carrier or the supportive partner / midwife. Hell, we can switch it up and I’ll be the seeder, impregnating you.

Asks and DMs are always open, I’ll even write fantasies if anyone has requests!

My only rule is that minors do not interact and if you don’t at least tell me your age or have it public, I won’t write with you.

Kinks include;

* Labor / contracting

* Pregnancy

* Birth

* Overdue births (weeks / to a month late)

* Pushing in different positions; squatting and on all fours is a favorite

* Quick water break / slow water break

* Birthing in different places (outside, the car, the house, on your lap, in a pool, etc.)

* Rapid pregnancy / birth

* Sexual induction (sex before or after water breaks) / non-sexual (on a birthing ball, squatting, getting a massage)

* One birth to multiple (up to 5)

* Clothing birth

* Crowning / getting stuck and having to push hard

Turn-offs:

* Stuffing / feeding

* Scat

* Non-human births

* Rape / incest

*do not send me photos of you with fake bellies / or audio*

Messages are always open to discuss role plays / talk about birth or real life, I’ll always lend a helping ear.

#maieusiophilia #preggophilia #labor kink #birth kink #preggo kink #labor sex #clothing birth #admin speaks

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enwonz · 4 months

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kingmaker | p.sh

MASTERLIST

As an assassin working for the Hwangs, you have proven your loyalty to your benefactors for more than a decade. But when Lady Hwang's plans for a rebellion land you in a bride selection for the Crown Prince, you find yourself at a loss. Unfamiliar with the ways of the gentry, your reliance on a previously unknown informant is your only source of hope. And yet, you learn very quickly that no one in high society can be trusted, including yourself. Because who else but you is there to assassinate the King?

➢ pairing — prince's attendant sunghoon x undercover assassin reader

➢ genre — sunghoon royalty au (sort of), angst, crossovers with various members of different groups (enhypen, itzy, skz, aespa, nmixx, ive, nwjns)

➢ status — ongoing

➢ warnings — graphic depictions of violence and blood, characters have pretty bad trauma, morally grey decision-making, social hierarchies, dynamics similar to slavery. if this were ao3 i’d say DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT

➢ disclaimers - most characters are depicted as very manipulative, and there are themes that are not acceptable in today’s society. this is NOT meant to reflect the idols’ real-life personalities. this is a work of fiction! let's be clear i do NOT condone most of what's written here irl! don't try this at home.

➢ a/n — not my first rodeo but we die like it is💀 cross posted on ao3 n wattpad by the same names :D go check em out if u want

➢ chapters (updated every other sunday)

➢ taglist (open) via asks!

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 7 months

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parenthood killed the rodeo star | famous!rhett x oc

Summary: Tessa stopped responding to texts and disappeared from the circuit three months ago, and Rhett can't stand not knowing what happened anymore. Maybe can't stand her not knowing how he feels about her, either. So he packs up and heads back to Wabang, a place he hasn't been to in nearly six years. (wc: 4679)

Warnings: background ocs, flashbacks, vague mentions of nudity, abortion mention, pregnancy, unexpected/accidental pregnancy, rhett and tess trying to be adults

✎……PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT || MASTERLIST

Wabang was a town that came up suddenly on highway twenty going from Shoshoni to Casper. A blink and you miss it town with only one stop light on the intersection of the highway and Main Street. Nothing but those wide open plains, the occasional butte and rock formation breaking up the landscape, until suddenly there were buildings and street lamps and cars. And then suddenly there was nothing but plains and great Wyoming sky once more. Only a few minutes of civilization and yet people lived their entire lives there without leaving once.

The thought made Rhett clench his jaw as he rolled into town. He didn’t want to be like that. Living and dying all in the same place without ever seeing anywhere else. It’s why he left as soon as he could. As soon as he got that first out of town rodeo gig in Montana. It was like all of Wabang was on fire and he didn’t care to save it.

He hadn’t looked back since.

It was nearly two in the morning when he checked in at the Neon Armadillo Motel just outside the city limits. The smoking, half-asleep front desk worker recognized him. But he couldn’t muster more than a slight smile and a thanks when they said he was one of Wabang’s crown jewels.

Rhett knew who the other gem was. And he was really hoping to find her.

Made it to Las Cruces. Wanna get a bite to eat?

A text left unread for the past week. All the other rodeo contestants had already arrived, milling about the fancy hotel the rodeo coordinators had suggested. Chatting and drinking and prepping for the events for the weekend. But all Rhett could do was keep checking his phone, and keep his eyes peeled for Tessa everywhere he went.

This wasn’t like her. She always texted him back. Was never this late for a rodeo. It felt like something gnawing at the pit of his stomach, swirling and pulling as the days went by and still she didn’t respond and she didn’t show up.

Eventually, the day of the rodeo came. Rhett called, but still, she didn’t answer.

What if something happened to her?

His legs felt weak, like toothpicks barely holding it together, as he walked through the rodeo grounds. The bull riding didn’t start for a few more hours, but he hoped that being there and in his element would force him to put aside his worry and just focus on what needed to be done. It wasn’t working so far.

Especially when he saw her agent talking to another rider.

“Hey, Scotty, c’n I talk t’you f’r a second?” Rhett asked as he walked up to the two of them.

The shorter, pot-bellied man bid the other rider farewell and turned to Rhett with a close-lipped smile mostly hidden by a mustache. “So, what can I do ya f’r?”

“Have y’seen Tessa?”

“Oh.” Scotty stared up at him and blinked rapidly. “I figured y’woulda known more abou’that than I do.”

Rhett clenched his fists to keep himself from fidgeting, swallowing down something he didn’t really understand. “Know about what?”

“She called me couple weeks back. Said she’s quittin’ n’wouldn’t tell me why. Jus’that she was done — goin’ back home.”

Rhett rode like shit that night and he got hounded for it by the press afterward. All those reporters asking him why he did so poorly when, up until Las Cruces, he had been placing first or second every time.

He couldn’t tell them it was because he couldn’t stop thinking about the girl he went to highschool with. The girl he wasn’t even in a relationship with. The girl he was suddenly realizing he may have been in love with and it might be too late to tell her.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he unlocked his motel room door and stepped inside. It smelled like cheap cigarettes and the lingering smells of sex. It nearly made him smile. Reminded him of all those motels he and Tessa used to meet up in when they first started out. It was in one just like this, with the two double beds and decor straight out of the nineties, that Tessa kissed him for the first time on a drunken dare. And he snuck off to her room after everyone else called it a night.

He dropped his bag by the foot of the bed and sat down with the creaking of springs. This mattress was not going to be kind on his body. He would probably wake up in the morning sore and achy all the way up his spine and in his knees. Could already feel it. But it was what he got for finishing a rodeo and then immediately driving seven hours well into the night.

But he just couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t stand all his texts left unread. The few phone calls he was brave enough to make being ignored. He just wanted to know what happened. If it was something he did. Something someone else did. If he could fix it. If she would ever talk to him again or ever come back. If she was okay.

If she felt the same way he did.

Rhett didn’t even strip down to his boxers before laying back on a pillow and falling asleep. Just kicked off his worn boots and slept on top of the crusty comforter in his jeans and Carharrt.

In the morning, he would shower and go to the diner for some coffee, breakfast, and brainstorming. Because now that he was in town, he really didn’t know how he was going to do this.

Stepping into Odessa’s Diner was like taking a step back in time. The bell above the door still chimed the same. The place still smelled like fresh coffee and bacon grease. The classic fifties diner decor still remained. Even some of the patrons were ones he remembered from all those years ago. Older now, more white haired and wrinkled and staring at him with squinted eyes as he walked inside.

The hostess, Dina, greeted him like an old friend. A kind smile and a suggestion to sit wherever he would like. She even offered to give him coffee on the house but he refused. Insisting that he would pay for everything, including a refill for all the old farmers who now murmured to one another about him.

Ain’t he that Abbott boy ran off t’join the rodeo?

What I heard, he’s a million dollar bull rider now.

Bet he broke his mama’s heart when he left n’never came back.

Rhett sat down in a booth in the back. Stetson sat down on the table with plenty of room for the breakfast he ordered. Pad of paper and pen he nicked from his motel room blank and staring up at him like it was waiting for something incredible.

He wasn’t so sure anything incredible could come out of him.

Not words at least. But that was what he needed right now. Words. Something to say to her when he rolled up to her family’s ranch and, hopefully, found her. When he had to look her father in the eye and tell him he was looking for his daughter. When he finally saw her again and everything he had been feeling since she walked out of the rodeo world came bubbling to the surface.

Since she left him.

That made something sharp and angry stab at his chest. He knew they weren’t together. Nothing official, no string attached. A silent agreement between the two of them for the past five years. But still, it hurt. That she didn’t even think, or didn’t want, to tell him that she was quitting. That she just ghosted him after all that time. After all they had done and been through together.

Tessa was there through every injury. Even when she was states away, she would show up at the hospital — in his hotel room. With homemade soup he didn’t know how she got a hold of and a kind smile he felt he never deserved. She would take care of him. Make sure he actually healed instead of just making his injuries worse by working through the pain. Making him feel cared for and thought of and maybe even loved.

Tessa gave him haircuts in hotel bathrooms. Forced him to try new things. Encouraged him to be better than he ever thought he could be. Supported him in everything he tried to do, even if it failed. Let him in to the darkest corners of herself, maybe against her own will. Let him, even when she told him not to, take care of her when she needed it. With soup from a can that made her smile and the gentlest hand he could muster.

Surely just friends didn’t do those sorts of things for each other. Surely there had to be more there.

Rhett felt it. Hated that it took her being out of his life for three months for him to figure it out. That it took him that long to build up the courage just to go back to his hometown.

It was strange being back in Wabang. He didn’t expect nostalgia to taste so bitter on his tongue. Everything was the same except everything had changed. Maybe it was because he had changed so much. Gone was the eighteen year old kid who left that town like a bat out of hell with barely 200 dollars to his name, a hope, and a prayer. He was nearly twenty-four. He had more money than he knew what to do with. He had everything he could have ever wanted when he left.

Only now he was right back where he started — looking for the one thing he couldn’t seem to find.

It was still early, if Rhett had to guess. But the other side of the bed was empty and the beginnings of sunlight were hitting him in the face. He grumbled as he blinked his eyes open, hand coming up to shield himself as he adjusted to the waking world.

But it didn’t take him long.

Tessa was standing in front of the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. The curtain pulled back and the early morning sky painted in pastel blues, yellows, and pinks. She looked beautiful. Hadn’t even bothered to cover up as she stood there staring out into the world. Unashamed and confident and showing him that little mole shaped like a fish on her left ass-cheek. Her hair was all pulled over one shoulder, still a bit messy but shining in the light. He wanted to keep the image of her like that in his mind forever. Nearly leaned over and snapped a picture with his phone to do just that.

“What’re you doin’?” he asked groggily instead, not bothering to get up from the warm comfort of the sheets.

She turned to look at him and smiled tiredly. “M’flight leaves in a few hours.”

“Mm, no it doesn’t,” he replied, putting both his hands over his face and rubbing to try and wake himself up more.

“It doesn’t?” she laughed, “Pretty sure my ticket says ten — South Dakota to California.”

“Nope,” Rhett sighed.

He let his hands drop back to his sides and she was facing him completely now. Looking like a statue or a painting or something else beautiful and timeless that he had only ever seen through her. Rimmed in golden morning light and standing before him completely herself. How he always wanted her.

Tessa grinned at him as she crawled back into bed, let him guide her to straddle his hips and lean over him with her hair like a curtain on either side. Private and cut off from the rest of the world. Just the two of them in that bed with nothing else to do.

“What does m’ticket say then?” she asked quietly.

“That y’r gonna stay righ’here. In this bed.” His hands squeezed her thighs and a grin quirked the corners of his mouth. “Wi’me.”

“Jus’a few more minutes, bubs.”

That was the last time he saw her. She told him she would text when she landed in California, and she did. Then he got a few more in the weeks following. Pictures of sights in California, updates on her standings in the rodeo she was in out there. But after a while he never heard anything else. After that, it was radio silence.

Rhett sighed as he set down his fork and pushed a hand through his hair. His pad of paper was still empty. But at least now his stomach was full. Maybe that would get his gears going and he could think of something to say.

Where did he even start? Where to begin when he didn’t even know when he started feeling this way. He didn’t know he was there until he was already in the middle of it. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when things changed. When things turned from friendship and casual to something more for him.

He just hoped it was more for her too. That she was in the middle too and they could find a way to the end together.

But where to fucking start?

The bell above the door rang and Rhett looked up on some instinct the diner brought out of him. His heart hammered inside his chest.

It was Riley Lopez. Tessa’s best friend from back home. She came out to every rodeo that she could and seemed pleased that Tessa had someone in the circuit who was familiar and had her back. She was even the one who dared Tessa to kiss him on that drunken night when they were both starting out. Riley had to know where she was, if she was even at her parents’ ranch, maybe even why she came back home in the first place with only a vague explanation to her agent.

Dina greeted her with a smile as she grabbed a few menus. But Rhett didn’t even let her get to a seat. Before he even really knew what he was doing, notepad and tact thrown out the window, he was up and stopping her in her tracks in front of the cash register. She looked shocked to see him, brown eyes wide and lips pressed into a thin line.

“Rhett,” she spoke his name like an exclamation.

“H-Hey, Riley, s’been a minute.” He tried to smile, tried to act casual and not like his heart was about to beat out of his chest.

“Sure has,” she replied, narrowing her eyes at him. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“H-Have y’seen Tess?”

She stared at him for a minute, and Rhett began to squirm under her brown-eyed gaze. She always had been good at doing that. Seeing past the tough exterior he liked to put up to keep people at arm's length and see into the heart of him. It was probably why she trusted him with her best friend’s life — maybe even her heart. Didn’t mean he liked when she did though, when she seemed to x-ray vision him down to the soul and see what his real intentions were.

But what Riley seemed to find resolved something within her. Her expression softened, Rhett even thought she might have looked at him with pity. He swallowed something thick.

“Um…She’s meetin’ me here for brunch, actually. Should be here any minute.”

Rhett felt his stomach drop — like he was on some roller coaster he was forced to go on. Holy shit. She was going to be here at Odessa’s. He wasn’t ready. He hadn’t written anything down yet. He didn’t know what to say or even what to think. His mouth was suddenly dry, his tongue too big for the space. What was he going to say? I love you. I’m so fucking pissed at you. You scared me. I’ve been so worried. I love you and I don’t know when it started. Why did you leave? Why didn’t you tell me? I love you.

He swallowed down his spit but it didn’t help the dryness, rubbing at his jeans. “R-Really?”

“But there’s somethin’ y’should know —”

Riley didn’t get to finish her sentence. The bell above the door chimed again and they both looked to see who it was.

And there she was. Looking like a statue or a painting or something else beautiful and timeless that he had only ever seen through her. Rimmed in mid-morning light and standing before him completely herself. How he always wanted her. Standing on the diner welcome mat with a fading smile on her face and blue eyes as wide as saucers. Staring at him and him only. Like they were the only two people in the whole of Wabang. Rhett couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth, the warmth that filled his chest as he stood in her radiant presence once more. Somehow even more beautiful than the last time he saw her.

I love you, I love you, I love you. He couldn’t think about anything else now.

He also couldn’t stop his gaze from sliding from her face to take in the rest of her. She had cut her hair just a little bit shorter. Had on a jacket to keep out the early spring chill over a yellow floral dress. His favorite color on her.

Her hand rested over her abdomen. Cupped a distinct roundness that hadn’t been there before. Rhett’s heart sank with understanding in his chest while the breakfast he just ate rose to the surface.

His eyes drew back up to her shocked face. “Tess?”

For a moment, her bottom lip wobbled. Her eyes glassed over with unshed tears. Then she turned on her heel and went right back out the door. Like a bat out of hell. Like the diner was on fire and she didn’t care to save it. Inside of Odessa’s was dead silent save for the sounds of the coffee maker and food getting cooked in the back. The old farmers kept their murmurings to themselves and Dina stared at the cash register trying to look like she didn’t understand what just happened. Rhett watched Tessa go through the front windows for a moment, too stunned to move or think or even breathe.

Riley was the first to speak. “Maybe I should go after her…”

But Rhett didn’t realize he was moving until he was pushing past her and towards the front door. Distantly, like from a different room, he could hear Riley calling after him. Telling him to wait, that Tessa clearly didn’t want to talk to him, that she was trying to warn him. But he didn’t care to stop and listen.

Outside, the sun was bright and birds were chirping in the cloudless blue sky. The occasional old truck rumbled by.

Tessa hadn’t made it very far away from the diner. She was leaned back against the brick building next door, hand to her chest as she breathed deeply. Rhett pushed a hand through his hair as he walked determinedly towards her. Strides long and steps purposeful against the concrete. Now he really didn’t know what to say. What even could he say right now that would make this better for either of them? Maybe he should just start with the truth — and how he wanted it out of her now more than ever. Is this why she quit? Why she had been ignoring him? Why she came back home? The pieces were falling together but Rhett didn’t like the image they made.

Did she not want him around?

She looked up at the sound of his steps, like she had been waiting for it. But still she made some noise of distress, one he had heard when she was too psyched out before an important ride, before she turned into the small alleyway between buildings. Rhett picked up his pace and followed after her.

“Tess!” he barked, maybe a little too harshly, when he stepped into the alley and she was still trying to run away from him.

She stopped. Her back still turned to him with her shoulders bunched up around her ears. Fingers death gripped around the handle of her purse. He slowed his steps the closer he got. Like he was approaching some wild animal. A baby deer stuck in the fencing for the west pasture with his mama just a few feet away. He tried to be as gentle as he could as he reached out to her. As he slipped his fingers around her wrist and tugged lightly.

“Will ya…Will ya jus’talk t’me?” he spoke quietly as she turned willingly at his urging, shoulders still tense and eyes downcast, filled with unshed tears.

He couldn’t help the glance down at her stomach again as he let her go. It was really there. She put her hand over it like that would help him not notice it. But it only made it worse. Made a stuttering breath leak out of his lungs as he willed himself to look her in the eye.

“Y’re…” he tried to say, tried to speak the obvious into existence.

“Yeah,” Tessa whispered, voice so small and full of tears. “M’pregnant.”

He didn’t have to ask if the baby was his. They both knew the answer to that. And he didn’t want to think about the implications of it right then either.

Rhett took a step back as he tangled his fingers in his hair, both elbows up as he processed and tried to think of what to say next. There was a tear tracking down her cheek and he wanted to wipe it away desperately. Wanted to just make it all better and make it go away and make like all of this never happened. Go back to that hotel room in South Dakota. When things were good and easy and known. But there was no going back. Not now. Not with her carrying his kid and unable to look him in the face.

“That why you left?” he finally asked after a minute of tense silence between them, dropping his arms back down at his sides.

“Racin’s not safe f’r the baby,” she answered with a swipe at her wet cheek.

“H-How far…?”

“Eighteen weeks.”

Something sharp and angry stabbed at his chest. Followed by the slow pain of just plain hurt. He knew he was grimacing just from the way she had wrapped her arms around herself, like she was trying to hide as much of herself as possible from him. Hands on his hips as he adjusted his stance, as he worked his tongue between his cheek and gums like he had a bit of dip there to mess with.

“Why…Why didn’you say anythin’?” he questioned quietly, trying not to just spit out every question he wanted to hurl at her with his heart spilled out on the asphalt between them. “I — I coulda…Why did…We coulda…”

Tessa’s chin trembled and another few tears slipped out. “I was scared, Rhett. And-And — And alone. I didn’know what t’do.”

“What were you so scared of, huh? You know you coulda called me and I woulda been on the next flight out to ya!” He was trying not to raise his voice, but he couldn’t help it as he pointed his hand at her — felt all that sharp anger and hurt.

“I know! I know that,” she said, tears coming nonstop now. “I’s just…I was scared about what you’d think.”

“What I’d think?”

“That you’d be mad at me. That you’d tell me t’get rid of it t’save our careers when I just…I couldn’t. That you wouldn’t want anythin’ t’do with me or-or the baby n’just keep livin’ your life. Keep drinkin’n’ridin’n’livin’ y’r dream.”

Rhett stared at her for a moment, chest still heaving as he fought down his anger and his pride. Would he have reacted that way? If he found out from the very start? When they were both still on the road and his career was really the only thing on his mind? He didn’t know. And that thought scared him. What kind of man was he if he didn’t know? If he wasn’t sure how he would have reacted? He thought he was better than that. That he was braver than that. And maybe he wasn’t. Because there was still a fear, a pit or a growing seed, in his gut that he couldn’t ignore. A baby. A whole new life. Responsibility and pain and so much love. He had never even thought about kids before. But now here he was. With Tessa. With the girl he went to high school with and kissed on a drunken dare in Montana. With the girl he was pretty sure he was in love with. With the girl he knew was going to be an amazing mother already. He didn’t know jack shit about being a father. His own messed him up to the point he never wanted to go back. He didn’t know anything about being a supportive partner during a pregnancy. Perry was never that good of an example with his wife.

But what he did know, right then, was that he couldn’t leave her alone. Not again. He couldn’t let her do this alone. He was willing to try. God, he was probably going to be terrible at it and he was going to mess up so much, but he wanted to try. For her. For the little baby they created.

“M’not mad at you, sunshine,” he spoke quietly as he took a tentative step towards her.

A small sob slipped past her lips, but she didn’t pull away. “Y’should be…I shoulda told you…M’sorry…”

Her head dropped into her hands and her shoulders shook with more sobs.

“Sunshine, baby, come’ere,” Rhett muttered as he put his hand on her shoulder and tugged her closer in.

He expected more resistance, but instead, she went willingly. Nearly fell into his chest as she wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled herself in the rest of the way. Four months without her touch. It was like a balm to burning skin as he slowly and gently put his arms around her. Pressed his cheek into the top of her head.

“M’not mad, I’promise. M’not,” he repeated, knowing she needed to hear it again.

Tessa only let out some strangled whimper into the fabric of his t-shirt in reply.

For some reason, it made him chuckle. “I don’know…How we’re gonna do this. But m’with ya, sunny, if you’ll have me.”

“Are-Are y’s-sure?” she asked, pulling away from his chest to look up into his face. “Wha’bout y’r career?”

“There’s more importan’shit than bull ridin’.”

It was an answer he didn’t even have to think about. That surprised him when he heard it rattling around in his own ears. Eighteen year old him would have shot him dead if he could hear him now. Giving it all up for a girl and a baby.

“I can’ask you t’do that.” She shook her head, pulled away from him completely.

Rhett swallowed, took a deep breath, put his hands in his pockets. “I’ve still got commitments n’I wanna keep m’word, but…I couldn’t — live with m’self if I let ya do this alone. Jus’as much responsibility as yours.”

There was conflict and questions swirling in those eyes big and blue as skies in July — like a summer storm was rolling in and Rhett didn’t know if it would knock his barn over or not.

Then she said, “We’ve got a lot more t’talk about then.”

“Ya hungry?”

“Starvin’, actually,” she laughed with a hand to her belly.

With a small grin, he nodded his head back towards the diner. “M’buyin’.”

They fell into step beside each other easily. In the small town where they grew up. Where they were maybe going to raise their own kid.

Too late to run now.

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